Email: reed204@cox.net

Feedback: God, yes! It'll keep going and doing these stories keep me from being completely and totally bored for the summer.

Distribution: Ask and you shall receive.

Spoilers: None

Content: B/X

Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy and Co. They belong to the Joss W and now the UPN. All I own are these yummy Ding Dongs that I am eating. Chocolately goodness on the outside and creamy sweetness on the inside.

Summary: Xander gets a bump on his head. Some old memories reawaken. And some new players enter the game.

Author's Note: If you have read my other fic: If the Shoe Fits. You will know that I really hate the idea of Buffy dying. In case you haven't, I will tell you that she didn't die this time. Instead I have it to where Xander went up to save Dawn instead of Spike. As the Doc turns to greet him, thinking that Xander will fight him. Instead Xander walks up to him and gives him speech like he did Angelus. When in actuality Xander was just distracting him enough to where the Doc's back is to the ledge so he could push the overconfident asshole off the platform, which he succeeds in doing. Oh and Anya died when she saved Xander.

2nd note: I know it's a little late but the . . . indicates thoughts.

Xander's Apartment

Xander tossed and turned in the bed as his life changing dream.

**************The Dream************

Xander suddenly saw himself in front of a bomb about to go off. OH SHIT! What am I doing here? But as he looked closer he noticed he wasn't controlling his actions. It was as if he was looking through someone else's eyes.

Suddenly, the scene started to fade into a new scene. He was standing in front of Bruce Lee.

He heard Bruce say, "Now, Jack, I want to tell you the three important elements of fighting. They are: Timing, Distance, and Rhythm. Now, if you can control these three elements, you will control the fight and you will decide how it ends . . . " The scene begins to fade again.

Xander thought, Jack? Wasn't that the name of the Soldier Spirit that possessed me that Halloween night in highschool?

Another scene emerges: this time he is in a lavish office with expensive furniture. A man enters with a manilla folder. "Now, Mr. . . . " the man says as he looks at the papers, "Gellar, I see you have completed the necessary information. Now, all you have to do is provide the minium deposit here at the Swiss Bank which is . . . $500,000 and then I can go over the account numbers and passwords for your handling of the account." Xander sees his hand reach for a briefcase then sets it on the desk. He opens it and sees the money that is required or maybe more. Damn, That's a lot of dough. 'Jack' says, "I have five more chases like this outside if you would me to me bring them in." Before the scene begins to fade, Xander sees the Clerks eyes bug out at what he heard.

Now he is in front of an angry brunette. "Damnit, Jack why can't you say here with me? Why do you have to go back into the Army? There isn't a war anymore. I want to have your kids. I want to live a long life with you. I don't want to worry every night wondering if I get a call that informs me that you are dead"

'Jack' says, "I know, Mary, but it's only for another three months and then we can get married and when we do, I will have a surprise waiting for you."

Mary just can't stay mad at him. She walks over to him and she starts to kiss him passionately.

"Let's go make some love before you go, and I will make sure you last all night." She said with a wicked grin on her face. The scene starts to fade. No! Wait! Go back, damnit, I want to stay. Just my luck, just when things start getting good, someone pulls the plug. Xander said grumbling.

The next scene he sees is that he is field surrounded by men firing machine guns. "Fall back! Get your ass to the rendezvous point!"



Xander's body starts to run for the edge of the woods. Before he reaches the brush, he feels a sharp pain in his side. His hand touches the pained spot and feels that it is wet. The body begins to fall from the extreme pain on top of suddenness of feeling tired. Xander's world started to go black . . .

***************End Dream********************

Xander wakes up with a sweat and gasping for breath. He looks at the clock. It only says 6:00p.m. "Damn, I have been out all afternoon. But that was some Dream, and the funny thing is I remember everything in Jack's entire life. Hmm . . . I wonder if it had to do with that bedframe?"

He got out of bed to change because he had to meet with the gang about researching some demon Buffy saw.

A sudden thought came to him, "Hmm . . . I wonder if I still remember all that stuff that Bruce taught Jack. Well, let's find out." As he thought about it, he steps into the guard position as if it were second nature to him. "Ok, let's see how my combos are."

Xander quickly shot out a three-punch combo that he barely even saw.

"Cool. The punches are good. Let's try the kicks" Xander quickly did a roundhouse kick with his right foot. But as soon as he did that he quickly regretted it because he got a shot pain shot throughout his body. Especially in the area of his unmentionables.

*Groan* "Way to go Xand, you forgot that your body isn't as flexible or as prepared as it should be."

Xander looks to his left and sees that Willow left her laptop on the dinner table. His curiosity started the best of him. "Hmm . . . I wonder." He grabbed the phone cord and plugged it into the wall. He started up the computer and proceeded to log onto the Internet. He seems to know what he was doing, which was odd because computers weren't always his best friends. "Jack must have had some computer experience. I wonder how much though."

Then I thought struck him. "I wonder if that vision of having a Swiss Bank account was true."

After a little bit of searching, he found the Swish Bank's website. "Ok, lets see if we still have that account." He entered the account number and the password to access it. A minute later, Xander read the number on the screen. His eyes became as big as saucers when he saw the amount that he inherited, so to speak. He whistles. "12 Billion dollars . . . 12 Billion dollars!!!! What kind of Swish Bank is this!? Note to self: Tell boss to go screw himself because you just quit. But first I want to see how it came to be at that amount." Xander checks how much the initial deposit was. "Damn! He deposited 39 million dollars on the first day! Hmm . . . that means that the Bank would have given him an annual interest payment of 15% per year. But where he got that money, I don't want to dredge up the memories to know how he came up with that kind of dough."

"Well, all I can say is I have probably more money than the Council. But with that money I can help Buffy out. Preferably buy her better weapons, get more books for Giles, and for Willow and Tara better witch supply." He looks at his watch. "Oh crap I am gonna be late. He gets up and grabs his keys and starts limping out of the apartment.

Summer's House

Buffy had done a lot of thinking while she loaded up the truck earlier this afternoon. That was when she decided that she didn't want Xander to be help in Slaying anymore because she cared about him too much to see him get hurt.

Dawn was upstairs because she wanted to skip out on research but that didn't mean she couldn't listen to what the gang was talking about. Willow and Tara were sitting in the Family room waiting for Xander to get here so they could start the meeting and discuss about the Demon that Buffy had saw.

Buffy walks in the room. "Willow, I need to talk to you and Tara about Xander."

This worried Willow because she did not like the tone of voice Buffy had when she said this. It was her resolve voice, you know, that one that says I gonna do this no matter what attitude.

"What is it Buffy? What has got you so down?" Willow asked.

"I have decided to keep Xander out of Slaying for good. Because I don't want him to get hurt anymore. After what happened today, I realized how special he is to me."

"Buffy, You do realize that when Xander here this, he is going to blow his top. This will crush him."



"I know Wills that is why I am so depressed right now, because I know it will hurt him."

Dawn frowned as she listened to this. She knew Willow would be right about Xander reaction. But she kept quiet and continued to listen.

It was about around this time when Xander showed up outside. He parked down the street because he wanted to surprise the girls with some flowers that he bought with his new money.

It was then that he heard Buffy talking. "He has no powers, he doesn't have the skills to fight and he might get in the way and get someone hurt if he decided to jump in like he always does."

When Xander heard this, he felt his heart break into a million pieces. Willow will defend me, she's my best friend But what he heard next shattered those hopes.

"Well Buffy, I guess you're right that he doesn't have any powers and that he can get hurt . . . "

That was all Xander had to hear before I decided to leave. Halfway to his car he found a trash can and threw the flowers away.

Back at in the House.

"Willow, I love him too much to see him get hurt. I just started to see it. And it kills me that I am gonna have to tell him."

"Oh, Buffy." Willow walked over to her to give her a hug. Tara followed in suit because she could not stand to see her lover and new best friend in pain.

"Isn't Xander supposed to be here by now?" Tara asked

"Let's give him a few more minutes, them we will call him. It's actually good that he is not here because it gives us time to settle down." Buffy said

Xander's Apartment

Those few minutes were all Xander needed to get home. Just as he entered his apartment the phone rang.

"Hello"

"Hey, Xander. It's Buffy."

"Oh hey, Buffster. I was about to call to tell you I won't to be able to make it because my head still hurts."

"Oh, do you want me to come over?"

"No, that ok. I can take care of it. But I need to go so I can take care of this headache."

"Ok, Xand. Take care and good night."

"Night, Buff." Xander was still pissed but he still loved Buffy with all his heart so he couldn't chew her out. So he would what do what she wanted him to do, he would stay out of the gangs activities and come when he was only needed. But that doesn't mean that he had to stop fighting the good fight . . .

Florida Key's in a Biker Bar

"Reed, tell me again why I had to shift into a guy while we are here?" said the angered Shape shifter

"Ok Brooke, imagine yourself in your original form, 5'11, your brownish/blond hair flowing just past your shoulders, and your beautiful hazel eyes and a slim figure. Now, imagine yourself in a bar like this one filled with the potbellied Bikers, like the ones you see here, ogling and drooling over you every time you move, on top of trying to cop a feeling of you at every angle. The reason we are here is to catch a Demon that has been kidnaping Biker women and draining them for power."

"Oh ok. I see your point. But why am I wearing the leather pants?"



"Hey, I told you to shift into something inconspicious. I didn't say what. Hell I would have been ok if you chose jeans. And please don't tell me you were imagining Brendon Fraser in leather pants again, like you were shifting last time, because that is NOT an image I want to see again."

"Gees Reed. Chill, I was just asking a question. And why couldn't you use your magic to find this demon?"

"Because it's parasite Demon, it can also absorb magic for energy as well as drain people. Did anyone ever tell you that you ask too many questions? "

"So, that means we are doing it the old-fashioned way. Battle Axes and swords? No, but no one has been as cryptic as you have been."

"Yep. Oh really, well, if you would talk to me more when we are not hunting demons I wouldn't be so cryptic. I believe it's called the Art of Stealth." He said with a smile. "There he is."

"Oh, shut up and don't get smart-assed with me. Where?"

"That old fat Biker exiting with the women. Come on, lets go."

"Oh, and Ewwww, what woman in her right mind would go home with a prune like that, then again, women who come here aren't in the right state of mind anyway."

The two demon hunters followed them outside and into the alleyway.

"Excuse me, sir. But this is the non-biting section of the club." The young wizard said.

"You! How dare you interrupt my feeding!" The demon said as he dropped the women and ran toward the man. Just at the last the second the wizard vanished. The Demon was shocked for such a powerful spell so be performed so quickly and without the incantation. But before he could recover his senses, a sword came down on his neck.

Brooke stood over the headless body as the sword morphed back into her hand. "You know, I never get enough how I can do this. And how come I had to do the dirt work tonight." She said as she looked at her hand.

"I told you, Brooke, as long as you wear that medallion I made. You can practically morph into any substance, even those that are yet to be discovered. You did the dirty work because you didn't give me a chance to do it." Reed said with a smile as he bent down to check the women.

"Are you all right Miss?" He asked.

"Yeah I am, but how did that lady do that with her hand and why did she kill that man?"

"Oh, that was just her form of self-defense." He said nonchalantly. "Now, I am going to ask you do look at me." As she looked at him, her eyes glassed over into a trance like state. "There, now you will get into your car and you will forget tonight's events. You will wake up tomorrow thinking the reason you can't remember anything was because you had too much to drink the night before."

The women got up and left just as Reed has instructed her to do.

"Where were you? When I got busted in high school from coming in late from partying?" Brooke asked jokingly.

"I was at home in Louisiana, mastering that very spell."

"Reed, I never asked you this, but how far have you come along as a wizard? And where are we headed to next?"

"Brooke, My power exceeded the level of a Grandmaster at the age of 16. Which, normally, would take a person a century, if they live that long, to achieve that level. But the story of how I achieved that level is better left for another time. As to where we are going, we are headed to Sunnydale to see a friend. And if you use that splitting spell I showed you, every time we see a muscle-bound meathead, when we get there. I swear I will make you regret the day you were born." The young wizard said with a smile.